Electrical splice

ABSTRACT

An electrical splice comprises a generally elongate body member divided into first and second compartments each adapted to accept a differently sized conductor by notching opposing upstanding sidewalls in such manner as to provide a fist and a second pair of individually deflectable sidewalls and selectively disposing the first pair of sidewalls partially defining the first compartment in such manner as to restrict the opening thereto to prevent the inadvertent insertion therein of a conductor having a size approximating the opening in the second compartment. Upon crimping the body member about conductors inserted into each of the compartments of the splice, the smaller conductors inserted within the first compartment are selectively crimped independently of the larger conductors confined to the second compartment to provide individualized retention and selective engagement between the electrical splice and the differently sized conductors. The inner surface of the body member may be provided with teeth to provide an effective electrical splice for insulated or oxide coated conductors.

United States Patent [1 1 [111 3,846,577 [4 Nov. 5, 1974 ELECTRICAL SPLICE [75] Inventor: Ted L. C. Kuo, Elizabeth, NJ.

[73] Assignee: Thomas & Betts Corporation,

Elizabeth, NJ.

[22] Filed: July 10, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 377,949

[52] US. Cl. 174/84 C, 29/628, 174/94 R, 174/87, 339/276 R [51] Int. Cl H02g 15/08 [58] Field of Search 174/84 R, 84 C, 88 R, 90, 174/94 R, 87; 339/276 R, 276 T, 223 R, 97 C; 29/628, 630 F [56] References Cited FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1,189,569 3/1959 France 339/276 T Primary Examiner-Darrell L. Clay Attorney, Agent, or FirmDavid Teschner; Jesse Woldman [57] ABSTRACT An electrical splice comprises a generally elongate body member divided into first and second compartments each adapted to accept a differently sized conductor by notching opposing upstanding sidewalls in such manner as to provide a fist and a second pair of individually defiectable sidewalls and selectively disposing the first pair of sidewalls partially defining the first compartment in such manner as to restrict the opening thereto to prevent the inadvertent insertion therein of a conductor having a size approximating the 1 Claim, 7 Drawing Figures PATENTEDRUY 51914 $846577 SHEEI 2 BF 2 1 ELECTRICAL SPLICE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION: 1. Field of the Invention:

The invention is directed to the field of connectors and principally to a splice for joining differently sized conductors.

2. Description of the Prior Art:

A recurring problem with prior art crimpable electrical line splices is their inability to provide an effective, reliable, and secure connection between differently sized conductors where the line splice, for example, has a uniformly sized conductor accepting compartment and a relatively small conductor is to be joined or spliced to a relatively large conductor. The crimping pressure is generally controlled by the size of the larger conductor, in which case, upon crimping the line splice about both conductors, the smaller conductor may be insecurely held therewithin or may in many cases be damaged by the pressure required to afford a reliable crimp about the larger conductor. In other cases where the larger conductor is comprised of a plurality of strands, the smaller conductor may be embedded within the strands of the larger conductor thereby precluding contact with the line splice itself, so that the smaller conductor may slip out of the splice or be insecurely held to the larger conductor within the splice. The above situations may occur, for example, where it is desired to splice a wire conventionally designated as AWG 22 to, for example, an AWG 8 conductor. Re-

cent prior art devices designed to at least partially alleviate this problem have included connectors having, for example, an H-shape providing a pair of overlapping compartments. The drawback, however, in this design, stems from the fact that both compartments must be compressed or crimped in series, in which case both the smaller and larger conductors will be subjected to the same crimping force tending to crush or severely deform the smaller conductor during the crimping operation. In another prior art configuration, two longitudinally spaced compartments of similar size are formed from a single ferrule to permit each of the compartments to be crimped separately by a suitably configured die, however, since the compartment adapted for the larger conductor is the same size as compartment adapted for the smaller conductor, the conductors may be inserted inproperly within the ferrule so that the larger forces applied to. the die arranged to crimp the ferrule portion containing the larger conductor are actually applied to that portion of the ferrule containing the smaller conductor which may be overly stressed and severely damaged thereby, resulting in a failure of the resulting joint or splice.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION: The invention overcomes the problems and limitations noted above with respect to prior art devices by side walls, each pair being deflectably deformable independently of the other pair. Each pair of sidewalls and the associated portion of the base portion thus form a discrete, selectively sized conductor receiving compartment. One pair of sidewalls is selectively formed to reduce the associated compartment size relative to that of the other compartment so that only the smaller of the conductors may be inserted in such compartment while the other compartment is selectively sized to receive the larger of the conductors therewithin. Thus, inadvertent misplacement of the larger conductor within the compartment designed for tor isthereby effectively prevented. Accordingly the invention serves to properly segregate the larger and smaller conductors to be joined within the splice so that each conductor is required to be inserted within its associated compartment which may then be suitably deformed to complete the splice upon the application of preselected crimping pressures thereto. Insulation or oxide piercing teeth may be provided on the inner surface of the body member to provide a unique splice for insulated or oxide coated conductors of varying sizes. this invention to provide an improved electrical connector.

It is another object of this invention to provide an improved electrical splice.

It is yet another object of this invention to provide a means for segregating large and small conductors within an electrical splice.

It is a further object of conductor segregating, splice.

It is still another object of this invention to provide an electrical splice having independently crimpable compartmentsarranged to segregate differently sized conductors.

Other objects and features of the invention will be pointed out in the following description and claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which disclose, by way of example, the principles of the invention and the best mode contemplated for carrying it out.

this invention to provide a compartmentalized electrical BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING:

In the Drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of an electrical splice constructed in accordance with the concepts of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the device of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the device of F IG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view, partly cut away, and partly in section, of the device of FIG. 1 illustrating the manner in which such device may segregate conductors of different sizes. 7

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the device of FIG. 4 crimped about the conductors inserted therewithin.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a further embodiment of an electrical splice constructed in accordance with the concepts of the invention.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of still another embodiment of an electrical splice constructed in accordance with the concepts of the invention.

Similar elements are given similar reference characters in each of the respective drawings.

a smaller conduc- DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS:

Turning now to FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 there is shown an electrical splice 20 constructed in accordance with the 26 separated from a pair of second sidewalls 28 by a selectively dimensioned slotted portion 30 dividing the body member into a first compartment 32 defined by the pair of first sidewalls 26 and an associated length of the base portion 24 and a second compartment 34 defined by the pair of second sidewalls 28 and the remaining length of the base portion 24. Each of the pair of first sidewalls 26 is selectively formed or bent to provide an overhanging portion 36 restricting the size of the first compartment 32.'By selecting the degree of displacement of each of the first sidewalls 26, thesize of the first compartment 32 may be effectively controlled to permit the receipt therewithin of a particularly sized conductor. Although the first sidewalls 26, shown in FIG. 1, comprise an overhanging portion 36 disposed at a generally oblique angle to the base portion 24, the overhanging portion 36 may be bent or formed, as shown for example in FIG. 7, to provide a pair of overhanging portions 38 disposed essentially parallel to the base portion 24 and spaced a given distance thereabove. Additionally, the second sidewalls 28 shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 as disposed generally perpendicular to the base portion 24 may alternatively, be selectively formed to provide overhanging portions 40, as shown in FIG. 7, while still maintaining the desired difference in size between the second compartment 34 and the first compartment 32. It will of course be readily appreciated by those skilled inthe art, that the electrical-splice 20 may be readily, conveniently, and rapidly manufactured from fiat stock blanked to the final shape shown in any of the aforementioned figures. It will, of course, also be readily appreciated that by suitably forming the overhanging portions 38 and 40 shown in FIG. 7 to provide a compartment shape conforming generally to the contour of a particular conductor, further conductor segregation may be accom plished in a relatively convenient, simple, and expeditions manner to enhance the segregative feature of the device. For example, the sidewalls 26 and 28 may be selectively formed to provide for the reception of round, square, rectangular, or other commonly employed conductor cross sectional configurations. In this manner the second compartment 34 may be adapted to receive a relatively large conductor of rectangular transverse cross section while the first compartment 32 may be adapted to receive a small conductor of circular transverse crosssection. Each of the compartments 32 and 34 may thus be designed to provide the most efficient connection between two or more conductors to be joined by the splice 20. Where it is desired to join two or more insulated or oxide coated conductors (not shown), a plurality of teeth 42 (FIG. 6) may be disposedon the inner surface of the splice, each of the Turning now to FIGS. 4 and 5 there are shown disposed within the first compartment 32 of the electrical splice 20 a pair of relatively small conductors 44, 44' the ends of which extend through the first compartment 32 and into and beyond the second compartment 34. Also disposed within the second compartment 34 is a relatively large conductor 46 at least partially overlying the extending portions of the smaller conductors 44, 44'. Because of the restrictive opening of the first compartment 32, the larger conductor 46 is precluded from being inserted therewithin since its peripheral dimension is greater than the opening afforded by the first compartment 32. However, conductor 46 will fit properly within the second compartment 34 of the line splice 20, leaving the first compartment 32 free for the insertion therewithin of the smaller conductor 44, 44. A suitably stepped die set (not shown) may now be employed to individually crimp the associated side walls of each of the compartments 32 and 34 so that a tight,

non-destructive joint may be formed about the differently sized conductors. Although the portion of the smaller conductors 44, 44' extending within the second compartment 34 may be subjected to. a relatively high crimping force distorting and deforming such portion of the conductors 44, 44' against the conductor 46, it will be seen that integrity of the splice is essentially uneffected thereby since the jointbetween the smaller conductors 44, 44' and the splice 20 is actually established within the first compartment 32, which will have been subjected to die forces designed to provide a proper crimp thereat. The final assembly of the splice is shown in detail in FIG. 5. The conductors 44, 44 are securely engaged within the first compartment 32 and the conductor 46 is securely engaged within the second compartment 34. The ends of the conductors 44, 44' extending beyond the second compartment 34 and shown as seated on either side of the conductor 46 may be severed from the splice 20, if desired, to improve the appearance of the finished splice, although these ends may remain intact without effecting the security, integrity, or reliability of the splice. As further illustrated in FIG. 5, the notched portion 30 of splice 20 provides a small window-like opening .for inspecting the relative dispositionvof the individual conductors in the splice 20 after the crimping operation. One may thus readily ob serve whether the conductors 44, 44 have been inserted fully within the first compartment 32 and adjoin the conductor 46 at the juncture between the firstand second compartments 32 and 34, respectively.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclulsive property or privilege is claimed are defined as folows:

1. An electrical splice comprising: a body member having a base portion extendingthe length of said body portion, a first compartment including a first given length of said base portion and a pair of first sidewalls, and a second compartment .including the remaining length of said base portion and a pair of second sidewalls foldable independently of said pair-of first sidewalls; said pair of first sidewalls being selectively folded inwardly towards one another to provide an overhangteeth 42 being proportioned'to penetrate the insulative 1 or oxide coating and engage theconductive portion of the conductors. The arrangement of teeth 42 shown in FIG. 6 maybe employed, of course, with any of the configurations described heretofore;

the plane of said base portion so that the interior opening formed by said base portion and said pair of first sidewalls is selectively smaller than the interior opening formed by said base portion and said-pairof second sidewalls, to restrict the acceptance of said firstcompartment to a first given sized conductor selectively smaller than a second given sized conductor acceptable within said second compartment. 

1. An electrical splice comprising: a body member having a base portion extending the length of said body portion, a first compartment including a first given length of said base portion and a pair of first sidewalls, and a second compartment including the remaining length of said base portion and a pair of second sidewalls foldable independently of said pair of first sidewalls; said pair of first sidewalls being selectively folded inwardly towards one another to provide an overhanging portion disposed at an angle generally oblique to the plane of said base portion so that the interior opening formed by said base portion and said pair of first sidewalls is selectively smaller than the interior opening formed by said base portion and said pair of second sidewalls, to restrict the acceptance of said first compartment to a first given sized conductor selectively smaller than a second given sized conductor acceptable within said second compartment. 